Earthbound
by Talon Silverwolf
Summary: Megatron has escaped from the Maximals after returning to Cybertron and it's only a matter of time before another war breaks out. Peace will not last forever. BW/BM AU. 100% guanteed plant free.
1. One Piece at a Time

He was bored. Bored, bored, bored. Ever since Megatron's defeat, Waspinator had been happy, but that was beginning to change. Once treated like a god by the pre-humans, they lost interest in him and moved on. And others thought he had a short attention span? No wonder humans were stupid.

Now he was alone. At least when Megatron was in command he had other Predacons with him, like it or not; and there were missions to take out. The only upside of all of this was there were no more Maximals, and when there were no Maximals, there were no guns. No guns meant not getting blown-up. He no longer had to watch his his back, but it was so . . . so . . . boring.

Well, he wasn't completely alone—to a point. He looked over where his former comrades Inferno and Quickstrike's parts laid. The pre-humans lost interest in them, too.

He flicked a beetle that crawled across his shoulder and watched it land near the remains. In its confusion it recovered and hastily crawled away into the grass. He kept his eyes fixed on the remains. For reasons unknown they became a sudden interest.

It was just an uncoordinated scatter of limbs and metal. Then again if done correctly they could take on the forms of the two Predacons they once were.

Then a thought crossed his mind: what harm what it do if he put them back together? He wouldn't be so lonely, even if they were Inferno the suck-up and Quickstrike the idiot. Maybe things were would be different now that Megatron was gone.

With his curious thoughts pulling on him, Waspinator walked to the scatter of parts and crouched down. He reached out and picked up the lower part of Quickstrike's leg. A hinge squeaked and it hung loosely. He then picked up nearly the entire length of a large cobra which was Quickstrike's tail.

"Waspinator is going to take a while," he said to himself.

* * *

><p>It took nearly over two days but at least it kept him busy. It would have been easier and much faster if he had the privilege of the Predacon base and the CR chambers, but that was gone. He had to challenge himself and improvise the best he could.<p>

He made one final adjustment, then stood up and looked at his handi-work. Inferno and Quickstrike lay on the ground, now complete. There was one thing left to do.

He stepped to Quickstrike's side and looked down. "Two-head. Two-head." There was no response. He tapped the side of his head with his foot and then after a few seconds the Fuzor jolted and his eyes glowed red again. He quickly sat up as if waking from a nightmare and babbled something incoherently.

Waspinator then walked to Inferno and tapped his foot against him, too. No response. "Ant-bot." Nothing. "Ant-bot. Wake up!"

He always wanted to do this.

He arched his foot back and gave a hard swing, and suddenly Inferno came to consciousness and grabbed for the in-coming foot in his hand. Waspinator was thrown.

Inferno snarled. "How dare you kick me?"

Quickstrike gathered himself and stood. "What in tarnation is goin' on?"

"Where is the royalty?" Inferno asked.

"Megatron is gone," Waspinator said, then stood.

"What?"

"Maximals captured Megatron and left for Cybertron. Leave Waspinator behind."

"Impossible!" Inferno snapped. "The royalty cannot be defeated. You lie, bug!"

"So ya mean it's over?" Quickstrike asked. "The Maximals won?"

"That's right."

"Dang it! Now I gots no one to shoot!"

"Two-Head can shoot himself in the foot if he wants," he muttered.

"Hey!"

"I will not be left behind with two traitors!" Inferno cried.

"Traitors?" Quickstrike said.

"Of course! You tried to kill the royalty." He then turned to Waspinator. "And you, bug—so you wish to abandon your Predacon right? For the royalty, you will burn!" He withdrew his large gun, aimed it in Waspinator's direction and released a fury of flames. Waspinator jumped back, managed to tangle his foot on a root, and fell backwards. He had all the luck, but at least he wasn't singed.

"You, too, traitor!" Inferno aimed and sent another fury of flames at Quickstrike. The Fuzor quickly dodged out of the way with a howl of surprise.

"This was a bad idea," Waspinator mumbled to himself, then stood while Inferno focused his attention on Quickstrike. He laughed while he fired again and again while Quickstrike avoided the flames.

"Get away from me ya psycho!" Quickstrike pointed his arm at him with its jaws wide open, ready to defend himself.

Waspinator took the opportunity to draw his own gun and quickly aimed it at Inferno. He fired, knocking the gun from his hand. Inferno snarled and looked his way. "Traitor!" He stomped over to his fallen gun.

"Not so fast!" Quickstrike cried and fired a green beam which hit Inferno's lower leg, making it buckle.

Waspinator watched.

"Waspinator is still Predacon, so . . . retreat!" He took flight but he didn't go far as Quickstrike chased after him.

Waspinator stopped. Well, at least _he _wasn't trying to kill him. Maybe the Fuzor would come in handy. Somehow. Two against one was better. He already paralyzed Inferno—for now.

He turned and grabbed Quickstrike by the shoulders before flying off. He had to fly fast and distance himself from Inferno.

"This was a bad idea," he said to himself again, then looked down on the Fuzor. "Two-Head not going to attack Waspinator too, is he?"

"I ain't got a reason."

"Good." He flew higher. "If ant-bot follows, Waspinator fly and two-head shoot."

"Sounds good to me!"

* * *

><p>They were being followed; he knew it. They had to outrun Inferno until they came up with a plan of action. Traveling to the mountains was the best the could do for now. Perhaps they could ambush him.<p>

They closed in on the mountain, Waspinator flying overhead in his beast form and Quickstrike crawling below. Both of them were on-guard and were cautious of anything that stood out from the norm and kept an ear out.

Then, something did stand out. There was a large gray object laying at the bottom of the mountain. Curious, he flew closer to it and once he was above it he saw it was a stasis pod.

He called to Quickstrike, "Waspinator found something!"

Quickstrike crawled to him in a quick pace. "Keep yer voice down."

"Look." He descend and as he did he shifted to his robot form and landed beside the stasis pod. It was silent and still. It was possible this one had passed Maximal and Predacon radars.

Upon closer inspection he saw why. There were dents on the side and the hatch was gaped open. He saw white fur between the gap but nothing was moving. It looked like it had scanned a lifeform but malfunctioned, trapping the being inside.

"Well lookie here," Quickstrike said. "Anythin' in there?"

"Yes, but it's trapped." When he leaned closer he saw a red Maximal symbol on it. He groaned in disappointment. "It's Maximal."

"Then open it up!"

Waspinator hesitated, then slipped his fingers between the gap and pulled upwards. It was jammed. He pulled on the hatch twice. Nothing.

"Stasis pod is jammed."

"Move out of the way, I'll fix it." Quickstrike raised up on two feet when he transformed into his robot mode and stepped closer. "Stand back." He extended his arm and released a discharge from his arm onto one of the hinges. The hatch popped wider but there was still no movement.

Waspinator then pressed a button on the console and after he did the pod hissed in response. They stepped back when the hatch finally began to open.

There was a moment of silence and stillness until the creature inside finally revealed itself. A white and black dog-like head rose up. A thick black-striped mane ran down to its shoulders. It blinked with a pair of bright yellow eyes before it leapt out of the pod. What it was was a mystery. The front part of the creature up to its shoulders looked to be a striped hyena, and the rest of it—Waspinator had to re-examine it. It was black with a long, slender tail. It was almost catlike but he couldn't be sure. When it turned its head to them it passed them an inquisitive look, lifting its pointed ears to attention. Waspinator realized its ears had a strange shape.

It had four ears, one fused behind the other. He then understood the strange creature.

"Maximal is Fuzor like Two-Head."

The black and white Fuzor tilted its head. "Who. . .who are you?"

Female Maximal.

"We're yer worst nightmare, that's who we are!" Quickstrike said and raised his arm to the strange hyena.

"Wait!" Waspinator put his hand over his arm and pushed it down.

"What are you doin'? She's a Maximal!"

"Waspinator sees that. But hyena-bot can be on our side. Hyena-bot can help destroy ant-bot."

Quickstrike tilted his head and stared at the other Fuzor in consideration.

Waspinator then turned to her. "Waspinator and Two-Head not shoot Maximal. What is Maximal's name?"

Her golden eyes darted, then said, "Talon."

Laughter suddenly came from above. "There you are, traitors!"

Waspinator quickly looked up to see Inferno approaching from above, armed and aiming at them.

Now wasn't a good time.

Inferno then noticed Talon. "Maximal! You shall burn!" He aimed down and fired on her. She saw it coming and dodged out of the way, leaving a scorch mark on the ground where she stood.

"Wait! Call him off!" she said.

"Waspinator can't. Ant-bot is crazy!"

Inferno fired again and she dodged out of the way. He fired over and over; she avoided each time.

"Hyena-bot," Waspinator said. "Transform."

She paused to look at him. "Transform?"

"Hyena-bot, say Maximize."

"Maximize?"

Talon was suddenly thrust onto two feet with segments of her beast form pulling back into a certain position. The head of her beast form pulled down to her chest while the rest folded behind her. The majority of her metal body was green with splotches of striped white here and there. Her joints were a fresh silver. A large metal ring was attached to both of her hips. Some sort of weapon, it seemed. She had that new transformer look, but that wasn't going to last if she didn't start fighting. If she died, they were next.

"Bring 'im down!" Quickstrike cried, and raised his arm skyward and fired a beam of bright green. Inferno noticed it at the corner of his eye and shifted to the side, avoiding it. Quickstrike fired again and Inferno maneuvered out of the way.

Waspinator watched a few seconds more before he took flight. He shouldered Inferno at full speed as he aimed down on the Fuzor below. The force knocked him back when they collided, but not far enough. Inferno regained himself in mid-air and turned his gun on him and fired. Waspinator maneuvered out of the way and then began to line himself up against his opponent.

Suddenly, something came out from the corner of his eye and hit his arm. He looked and saw one of the silver rings from Talon stuck in his arm. He glanced down on Talon who looked up in shock and confusion.

Movement turned his attention. A beam of green light launched from below struck Inferno's arm. He looked down where Quickstrike stood, aiming up and ready to fire again.

Waspinator backed away while he glanced down on Talon who was now holding a cylinder-shaped device over her shoulder, aiming it in Inferno's direction. She pulled the trigger and from the launcher a rocket shot out from it. It went past him—and Inferno.

"Hyena-bot is a lousy shot," he muttered.

Inferno laughed and began to move forward, focusing on Talon. Quickstrike took advantage of his distraction and began firing over and over. One hit his shoulder. Inferno then began maneuvering to avoid the fury of the rest. He kept firing until Inferno began to slowly retreat, figuring he was outnumbered. They all knew they had to avoid injury. If one of them was damaged, it might as well be the end. It was the reason why Inferno wasn't giving what he really had in him. Even against Quickstrike and Waspinator, Inferno was being careful. He had already taken hits from Quickstrike.

Inferno retreated. Waspinator remained in the air, waiting for him to reappear, but he didn't.

Below, Quickstrike laughed in victory.

"That was easy!" he said. "We got 'im!"

Waspinator slowly descended to the ground. "Ant-bot will be back. Ant-bot followed Waspinator and Two-head." He turned to Talon who still had that confused look on her face. Waspinator glowered and walked to her, pulling the chakram out of his arm as he did. He handed it to her, nearly shoving it against her chest. "Hyena-bot tried to kill Waspinator!"

"N-no. I missed." She jostled the bazooka in her hand. "I missed."

"Ya better start learnin' how to shoot if ya wanna live," Quickstrike said as he walked towards them.

She gathered the bazooka in her arms and stared at them through the dark pits of her eyes.

"If he's a Predacon then why is he after you?"

"Ant-bot thinks Waspinator and Two-head are traitors. Ant-bot can't take bad news."

"What bad news?"

"Predacon leader, Megatron, lost to Maximals. Two-head is traitor but not Waspinator."

"Ya did try t' quit," Quickstrike muttered beside him.

"So Two-head thinks Waspinator is traitor, too?"

"I don't care what ya did back there. At least ya didn't turn Maximal. Then I'll be shootin' ya!" He then slowly turned his head to Talon and glared at her. "But if I wanna shoot a Maxie there's one right here." He extended his arm at her.

Waspinator pulled the Fuzor's arm down. "Maximal can join our side. Three against one."

Quickstrike hummed in thought."Well, she's gotta learn how t' shoot. And 'course she's gotta turn Predacon. I ain't fightin' with no Maxie! Ya hear?" He turned and began to walk away.

Waspinator watched. "Where is Two-head going?"

"There's no use standin' 'round here," he said. "That bot'll come back. Best we keep movin'."

Waspinator stared at him. Well, maybe he was right. It was too risky standing in one place for very long.

Waspinator then looked behind himself, focusing on the stasis pod. It may not seem like anything of importance at the moment but perhaps it would. Putting an empty stasis pod to use again had been done before, well, almost. This time he wanted to see if it could truly be done.

With the Maximals gone, he couldn't help but think of Cybertron.

"Waspinator has an idea!" He flew to the pod, grabbed the edges and lifted it, forcing his thin wings to take him to the air with the extra weight. "Follow Waspinator!"


	2. Custom Machine

The heat began to rise by the time they neared the old base. He set the pod aside and landed, looking over the ridge and down into the crater. The remains of the Darksyde remained in the pitiful state that resembled a carcass than a Predacon warship.

The two Fuzors stopped at each of his sides, looking down along with him.

"Tarnation. Now don't that bring back some memories?" Quickstrike said.

"What happened?" Talon asked.

"Alien Vok attack Predacon base," Waspinator answered. "Predacons not expect a thing."

Talon tilted her fused ears. "It sounds like a missed a lot."

"Hyena-bot missed the whole Beast Wars."

"I still came online at the wrong place and at the wrong time."

"Don't you worry 'bout that ant-bot," Quickstrike said with a flick of his claw. "With the three of us now, all we's gotta do is slag 'im!"

"But before that," Waspinator said, "Hyena-bot needs to learn how to aim." He paused. "Waspinator will teach Hyena-bot!"

Quickstrike snickered. "You? What she really needs t' do is t' learn how to be a Pred."

"Waspinator has a different job for hyena-bot first." He took to the air and flew to the center of the stale destruction where most of the base remained. There were sections still intact, including half a corridor.

He ducked an overhang of a tangle of wires and stood inside the edge of the interior of a surviving corridor which led into a dark and endless tunnel.

Soon, Talon and Quickstrike followed.

"So ya think we're stayin' here? Yer more crazier than that looney ant-bot."

"It will be the last place ant-bot will look." He paused and thought in vain hope, "Waspinator wonders if CR chamber is still intact . . ."

"Yer dreamin'! That thing hit dead-center!"

He was right—for once. But staying here was better than out in the open. If the Fuzor didn't like the idea then he was free to go on his own. Waspinator surely wasn't going to rescue him if any trouble turned up.

"Well, Waspinator will stay here. And so will hyena-bot." He glanced at her which made her pin her ears back.

"That's fine with me," Quickstrike said and then crawled away.

Waspinator watched him go.

"Are you sure you should let him go like that?" the husky but submissive voice of Talon asked.

"It's not Waspinator's fault if Two-head gets slagged."

Talon tilted one ear. "That's so considerate."

"Waspinator doesn't have to be considerate."

"I guess that's the way of the Predacons, huh?"

"Yes." He stared at her. "Hyena-bot doesn't know much about Predacons, does she?"

"I don't know much about Maximals, either."

Waspinator crossed his arms. "Waspinator can teach hyena-bot how to be Predacon."

"I don't know if I—"

"Hyena-bot is only Maximal left." He spoke in a taunting tone.

Talon lowered her head and stood a moment of silence. Her golden eyes darted before she turned them up to him again. "What do you want me to do?"

He pointed a finger into the dark corridor. "First, hyena-bot will restore power to this side of the base."

She tilted her head and looked on at him in confusion. "What?"

"Hyena-bot cannot he hard of hearing."

"I heard you, but how am I supposed to repair the base?"

"Hyena-bot has to figure that for herself."

"I don't think I can—"

To keep her from arguing further, Waspinator pulled a hand to his back and withdrew his gun. He held it at his side and tapped it against his thigh, reminding her she was the Maximal, therefore, still the enemy.

"I suppose I could figure something out," she said nervously.

"Good. Now Waspinator has something to do. Hyena-bot, stay here!" He shifted to his beast mode and began to rise into the sky. "Waspinator will be back!"

Now alone, he had to be extra careful, especially where he was going. But what he wanted had no promise of being in one piece—just like Tarantulus.

* * *

><p>It was smooth flying back to what used to be Tarantulus' lair. He took caution once he neared it. Closer, he shifted to his robot mode and immediately armed himself. He hovered a short moment before slowly moving on, keeping his senses on high. Like a stubborn and loyal dog, there was a chance Inferno could return. But nothing came. No whipping of his propellers and most certainly no maniacal laughter.<p>

Waspinator dropped to the ground and gave a glance around before walking to the opening of the lair. He stepped cautiously, turning his head left and right as he went farther in. He even looked up.

All clear.

Nearby, there stood a console. A part of it was damaged, but not severely. It was probably damaged from the attack that came upon Tarantulus; there were parts still on the ground. The rest of the Predacons were lucky—somehow.

He glanced over to a table where there were shattered glass and a few devices. He closed in on it and saw three books, all logs of his projects. Waspinator picked one up and turned it on. He flipped through a few logs. Then he soon found what he came for: Tarantulus' notes on how he turned a stasis pod into an escape pod.

He was luckier than he thought. Waspinator turned it off and walked back outside. He gave one last cautious glance before taking off into the air again.

* * *

><p>The ambient was calm and silent, a good day for a flight, but he wasn't out for a joy-flight; he was on a personal mission, a mission that was almost completed, until—<p>

He heard the howl of a familiar voice and looked down. Not too far away there was Quickstrike engaged with Inferno. The Fuzor was just picking himself off the ground and when he did Inferno fired again. Quickstrike jumped back and wound up pinning himself against a tree.

He wasn't going to give up. He returned fire, streaking the air by Inferno in green.

He was in trouble. Waspinator told himself he wasn't going to step in if Quickstrike got into a bind. Well, he lied to himself.

While Inferno was focused on Quickstrike, Waspinator withdrew his gun and fired a single shot at his back. Inferno was thrown out of the air and into the ground. He waited for him for him to get up again but he didn't move. He was unconscious.

Waspinator took the chance and quickly landed by Inferno. His gun was laying on the ground beside him, easily in arm's reach. Not wanting to risk Inferno attacking again, Waspinator reached down and grabbed the large gun.

"What in tarnation are you doin' out here?" Quickstrike said as he approached.

"Getting this." He displayed the log he took from the lair.

Quickstrike cocked his head. "What's that?"

"Waspinator has plans to go back to Cybertron."

"How's that?"

"This explains." He held the log up again. "Waspinator is going back to base. If Two-head is smart he should come, too." He shifted to his beast form.

"Ya mean ya got a way t' get off this dirt pit?"

"Yes."

"Well tarnation, let's go!" He started ahead but then halted. He turned and took a free shot at Inferno. "Now let's get outta here, bug-bot!" He leapt up and Waspinator caught him, and began ascending to the sky.

* * *

><p>Waspinator let Quickstrike down once he neared the center of the crater, then walked to the section of the ship where he had left Talon. She wasn't there.<p>

"Don't tell me she got away!" Quickstrike said. "If she did, I'm trackin' her down! I ain't gonna let a Maxie get away!"

Waspinator looked further into the corridor. "Maybe hyena-bot actually followed Waspinator's orders. Waspinator will go find hyena-bot. Waspinator needs to these plans to her." He walked down the corridor, listening and looking for the white of Talon's fur past the darkness.

He turned right and continued down. "Hyena-bot. Hyena-bot!"

No answer.

He then heard wild laughter. He looked into a room that had been Megatron's quarters and saw Talon on her back, writhing in hard laughter.

Quickstrike heard her, too, and looked on. The two exchanged glances.

"She's crazy," Quickstrike said and shrugged.

Alerted by his voice, Talon slowed her laughter until it subsided and rolled to her side. It was a change from the submissive and confused Maximal. It was a good sign. Maybe she would make a good Predacon after all. He just hoped she wouldn't turn into one of those crazy Predacons. He had seen maniacal fem-bots before.

"Have you read Megatron's logs before?" she said with an amused look on her face. "You should. Did Inferno really call Megatron queen?"

"All the time," Quickstrike answered.

She looked down on the log book in her hand. She read aloud: " 'And if he calls me queen one more time I am going to kill him.' "

Quickstrike began chuckling with his broad shoulders shuddering.

She then picked her head up. "Speaking of Inferno, you didn't run into him, did you?"

"Yes," Waspinator said. "Ant-bot is scrapped!" He withdrew Inferno's gun as proof. "Two-head is good bait."

"Hey!"

"Is he . . . dead?" she asked.

"No. Waspinator and Two-head left before ant-bot could recover."

"Well, at least you two got away, and without a scratch, it seems." She glanced at Quickstrike who had a fair amount of scratches. "Umm, almost."

"That bot ain't nothin'!" he boasted.

"If it wasn't for Waspinator, Two-head would be scrap, too."

"I had it handled!"

"It didn't look like to Waspinator. Ant-bot had Two-head trapped."

"Listen here ya tin-horn, I wasn't trapped!"

Waspinator didn't go on with him. He had something more important to turned to Talon who looked on in confusion and worry, expecting a fight to break out between the two. "Hyena-bot, read this log instead!" He retrieved the log he took from Tarantulus' lair and tossed it at Talon's feet. She looked down on it and picked it up.

"What's this?"

"Plans to get back to Cybertron. Waspinator wants hyena-bot to build escape pod from stasis pod."

"Is that even possible?"

"Stasis pod was used before but never got into space."

"Why's that?"

"Long story."

"So if it was actually done before, then I guess it can be done again. But there's three of us."

Waspinator tapped his chin. "There may be another pod in the ship."

"Well, go get it," Quickstrike said.

"Hyena-bot will work on this one first. Right, hyena-bot?" He put his hands on his hips.

She looked on at him nervously. "It looks like I have no choice."

Quickstrike chuckled. "Looks like ya just volunteered. This is goin' t' be somethin'."

She looked between the two. "You expect me to do this alone? It'll take forever to do this. And I'm sure you want to get to Cybertron as soon as possible." She glanced at Quickstrike who waved his appendages, signaling he was all-thumbs. She then looked to Waspinator for his answer.

He folded his arms. "Maybe Waspinator will help. But Waspinator not work with Maximal."

"Of course, you're still fixed on turning me into a Predacon." She looked between them. "All right. What do I have to do?"


	3. Still Running

Talon was surrounded by an organized mess of tools and parts. She had been working tirelessly on the stasis pod for days and she found herself at a stand-still. Something was missing. She read over the notes twice, checking if she overlooked something but she didn't. There was a chance it could be found, though. She was a Predacon now but it didn't mean she had to be a pessimist.

She couldn't stop now. She was so close to finishing it.

She was sitting up against the wall of the corridor where she designated as her work area, sleeping.

What else could she do? Stare at it?

She was woken by a tap to the side of her leg, making her jolt awake. She then lowered her defense when she saw it was only Waspinator. She sighed in relief and sat up straighter. "You scared me, Waspinator."

"Hyena-bot should be working on stasis pod, not sleeping."

"Well, excuse me," she said and stood up. "Haven't you fallen asleep on the job before? I can't do anything with it right now. I need to swap the standard chip of this pod with one Tarantulus modified. Of course it's not here. Waspinator, is there a chance one could be at the lair?"

Waspinator shrugged. "Waspinator not know."

"Can you find out?"

He stared at her a moment, hesitant at first, and then said, "Yes, Waspinator can look."

"Good." She picked up the log and displayed an image of a microchip. There was a yellow Predacon symbol on the center of it. "It's small, so look carefully."

He nodded. "Waspinator will go," he said and did an about-face and walked away.

"Wait. You should take Quickstrike with you."

He paused and looked back at her. "Why?"

"One word. Inferno. It wouldn't hurt to bring back up, would it? What are the chances of running into him again?

He began to consider. "Well, two-head is good bait."

"The idea is not to start a fight."

"Waspinator knows that. Waspinator not stupid. But Waspinator not say the same for two-head."

Talon snickered. to herself then mocked a salute. "Good luck then. And watch your thorax."

"Luck? Waspinator not have luck." He continued down the corridor.

* * *

><p>He didn't have to go in search of Quickstrike. He didn't want to anyway. He saw him outside, firing at something in the distance. Instantly, Waspinator thought of Inferno and armed himself and ran to his side. He stood there a moment, looking for a sign of Inferno―but nothing was there. Quickstrike was shooting at the ground a short distance away near a collection of scattered rocks.<p>

"Dang it! Stay still!"

Waspinator slowly turned his head to him and stared. Had he gone mad? Was he seeing things?

"What is two-head doing?"

"I'm tryin' to get rid of these critters. I gotsta do somethin'! I'll give anything to shoot a Maximal!" He fired between two rocks, shattering them. "Dang it! Fast little critter."

Waspinator looked closer and saw what Quickstrike's target was―a rat. A petrified gray rat was huddled between two rocks, trying to hide from the its attacker. Quickstrike was so desperate he was using rats as target practice?

"Waspinator getting out of here?" he muttered and lifted into the air.

"Hey! Where are you goin'?" Quickstrike called up to him.

Waspinator. "Waspinator going back to spider-bot's lair."

"What for?"

"Waspinator going to find missing part for stasis pod. Hyena-bot not fix it without it."

"Why can't she get it herself?"

"Hyena-bot not been in spider-bot's lair before. And hyena-bot would get slagged if ant-bot finds her."

He began to lift off more, then Quickstrike called, "Hey, hold it, hoss! Take me with ya! I gotta do something better than shoot rats. 'Sides, no doubt that ant-bot's sore 'bout gettin' slagged last time."

Well, there went that idea. But there was a high chance Inferno was there. He had been near the area. He might as well bring some bait with him. Maybe he could finish the job.

Waspinator shifted to his beast mode and flew down to Quickstrike. He grabbed him by the shoulders and took to the sky.

They arrived to the lair safely. Waspinator shifted to his robot mode after dropping Quickstrike off by the entrance of the lair, then landed. It was quiet. That meant to Waspinator it was safe. He walked further inside, heading towards the table where he had found the logs. There was nothing there. Could it have been knocked on the ground? He looked around. Nothing.

He then turned his attention to the console which had several monitors mounted on it, all black now. One was broken. He saw there was a panel at the base of it. He crouched down and examined it before sliding his sharp fingertips into the seams and pulled. It popped out, allowing Waspinator to look inside the dark interior. There was a tangle of wires which was all he could see at first.

He reached in.

"Find anything?"

Quickstrike's voice caught him off-guard and made him jump. He glanced at him then reached back into the hole. His hand tapped the bottom and the sides, searching. When his hand came into contact with something against the right side of the panel he pulled it out. It was a small metal box.

"Hmm, Waspinator found something," he said as he looked down on it. He opened it and inside was two processor chips, screws, and as he shifted through it he uncovered a small black microchip with a Predacon symbol on the center of it, just like the one Talon showed him. "Waspinator found it!" He snapped the box closed and tucked it away behind his back.

"Is that all ya had to find?" Quickstrike asked.

"Yes. Waspinator not know it would be this easy."

"I reckon she could find it just as fast."

"Waspinator not care. Waspinator going to take this so he can go back to Cybertron." He walked past Quickstrike and out into the open again where the sun bared down on his metal hide. He looked up to the cloudless sky and watched as a butterfly fluttered almost weightlessly by a tree.

Wild laughter then announced itself at his far right. He snapped his head over and saw Inferno stumbling slowly towards him. The blades on his backside were bent and twisted.

"You. . . You . . ." Inferno muttered.

Quickstrike sprinted to his side and looked on in shock. "What in tar nation? That bot's still goin'!"

Inferno continued to stumble towards them, oblivious to his own damage. "Traitors! Thieves! You shall suffer the wrath of the royalty for this!"

"He jus' don't get it," Quickstrike said. "But he ain't so hot now. All we's gotta do is take him out in one shot!" He extended his arm, preparing to fire. Before he could, Inferno charged clumsily towards them surprisingly fast. He stumbled a few steps but he kept his footing and lurched for Waspinator. Waspinator lifted off the ground, letting Inferno pass under him like an aerial matador. After passing him, Inferno spun around to face him.

"Traitors! Theives!"

Waspinator put his feet to the ground. "Waspinator not traitor, but Waspinator is thief." He reach around his back and withdrew Inferno's purloined gun. Inferno's mouth gaped at the sight of it. "It was you!" He began to step forward. That was when Waspinator pointed the gun upwards, directly above Inferno's head, and pulled the trigger. The shot hit the ceiling of the cave, sending a rain of rocks down on top of him, leaving him buried beneath it.

He stared at the pile, waiting for Inferno to arise from it, but there was no signs of movement.

Behind him Quickstrike laughed. "Good shootin', partner!"

Waspinator watched the pile of rocks across from him a few more seconds before he turned and left the cave.

* * *

><p>Everything was silent and still. There was a tremendous weight on him but it meant nothing. He heard the voices of the traitors, and then they faded. No! He couldn't let them get away! He began pushing the rocks with one hand before he gathered his strength and managed to throw the rocks off his body.<p>

He stumbled out of the pile and looked across into the open. No. They shall not escape. None shall escape.

He stumbled out the cave and tilted his head back to see Waspinator flying away at a distance, carrying Quickstrike with him. Inferno snarled at this. Even if he had lost his own ability to fly, he wasn't going to let them get away.

Forcing himself forward, he stumbled after them. He kept them in sight the best he could. He couldn't stop. He had to track them down. The royalty would be pleased.

He followed them until they reached their destination. Inferno stopped in his tracks when he realized where they led him. He stared in awe. "The colony."

He watched the two enter a section of the shattered remains of the warship. What were they up to?

He had to stay down and watch them. He couldn't approach them,. Not yet.

He waited. It didn't matter how long it took. They were up to something.

He stayed low and silent.

* * *

><p>It wasn't the same as defeating a Maximal and returning victoriously, but it was as close as he could get. Taking down a bot like Inferno felt even better. It was worth the risk.<p>

He walked down the corridor in good spirits, back to where he had last left Talon. When he arrived she was AWOL. Now where would she have gone?

He glowered to himself and walked down the corridor and turned right. Halfway down the corridor he saw Talon on her knees by the wall with something on her lap. When she noticed him approaching she picked her head up with a bright expression on her face.

"Waspinator, look what I found." She held a missile up. "I found it in the storage compartment. I think it's compatible with my bazooka."

"Waspinator found something, too." He held the chip up.

A smile beamed on her green face. "You got it!"

"And Waspinator took out ant-bot while doing it." He drew Inferno's gun and held it up, almost grinning.

"You got him again?"

He crossed his arms and nodded. "And Waspinator didn't need to bring two-head." He paused briefly, turning his attention to what really mattered. "Hyena-bot fix stasis pod now?"

Talon cocked her head. "Wait a cycle. Is Inferno down for good or will we be hearing from him soon?"

"Waspinator not know. If ant-bot still functional, he might."

Talon frowned. "We need to set up some sort of security system, but without power we can't get the auto-guns online. The only thing I can suggest is taking turns on a guard watch, unless you have a better idea."

"Hyena-bot work on stasis pod and Waspinator go on first watch."

She shrugged. "Deal."


	4. Ignition

Patience. A little more patience and all this hiding would pay off. Day and night one of the traitors guarded over the base. Waspinator scouted the area time to time; that was when Inferno had to retreat. Sometimes the two stood outside together. He hadn't seen the Maximal. Perhaps they destroyed her after all.

This time Quickstrike was on watch. He had been out there half the day. He was fidgety, growing tired of his duty and hungry for a fight. Perhaps he would get that fight, but not now. Not yet.

There was movement and Inferno focused on the opening of the ship where they often exited and entered. He watched the opening with intensity when he saw Waspinator dragging something large with him and flew it over to a collection of rocks.

By his surprise the Maximal followed, carrying several long metal objects over her shoulder. She walked to Waspinator and dumped the materials on the ground. Then Quickstrike joined them. They began hoisting the large object vertically and propped it up with the supplies the Maximal brought. When Inferno looked closer to what they were doing he realized they were propping up a stasis pod. Were they going to escape with that pod?

No. None shall escape.

* * *

><p>Waspinator couldn't be more happier. Finally, he was going home. He wasn't sure how long he had been on Earth but he surely wasn't going to miss it.<p>

After the three secured the pod on a makeshift launching pad they gathered in front of it. Waspinator just wanted to jump in, set the launcher and blast his way back to Cybertron. He was nearly fidgeting with anxiousness.

"Alright, Waspinator, it looks like this is it," Talon said and opened up the hatch. "What do you say?"

"Waspinator says . . . Cybertron or bust!"

Talon laughed and put her hands on her hips. "Well, get inside then you—"

"Stop where you are!" a voice called out. Inferno's voice.

Waspinator snapped his head around to see Inferno stumbling towards them.

No! Not now!

"He must be running on Energizers," Talon said as she stared with her mouth gaped.

"How'd he find us?" Quickstrike asked.

"It doesn't matter," Talon said. She held a hand closer to her thigh, prepared to grab her chakram. Her eyes were locked on Inferno stumbling towards them. "Waspinator, can you distract him?" she asked.

He reached back and withdrew Inferno's gun. He then jumped up and took to the air, flying to Inferno. He hovered over him and displayed the gun. He waved it like tempting a hungry dog with raw meat.

"Thief! Give it back!"

Inferno reached a hand up and attempted to grab it by jumping but missed. He did it again and missed. This was so entertaining. Waspinator chuckled to himself.

"If ant-bot jumps higher he might reach his gun," he teased.

Talon called, "Keep him right there! Fly higher."

He glanced over and saw her crouched down on one knee while she propped her bazooka over her shoulder. She was aiming it straight for Inferno. Waspinator quickly lifted up to stay out of the cross-fire just in case she missed—again.

He aimed down on Inferno to keep him focused on him before he noticed Talon. He was tempted to pull the trigger but Talon had something that had a little more power. And what they needed was something with power.

Talon pulled the trigger and by instinct Waspinator lifted higher above Inferno's head. Inferno's attention was still on him when the missile hit him. The impact sent parts in several directions. Waspinator took the shock wave but he was only pushed back. He stayed in the air and watched while the flying parts settled on the ground.

_Is it over?_ he asked himself.

He heard Quickstrike laugh and turned his head to the others. Talon rose to her feet and dropped the bazooka at her side, staring at the remains.

He landed by them, taking a position in front of the pod. "Hyena-bot good shot now," he said.

She grinned lightly. "Well, I did have two Preds to give me some tips. All it took was time."

"Hyena-bot still have time to turn on escape pod?" He was already growing impatient.

"Of course," she said. She gestured a hand to it. "Get inside and let's give it a try. We shouldn't be interrupted this time."

Waspinator could barely contain himself. "Ooh, Waspinator finally going back to Cybertron." He entered the pod and turned around so he was facing the outside.

"Now let's hope it doesn't explode." She closed the hatch like a door.

"Explode?"

She grinned in an almost arrogant way and saluted. She said something but it was too muffled for him to understand. She then stepped aside, out of sight. Waspinator stood still and within a few seconds he felt a rumble within the pod and at the foot of it a cloud of smoke developed. There was a loud roar around him. His body was pinned against the inside of the pod as it was launched into the air, rising higher and higher.

He was going home.

* * *

><p>Talon pulled her head back and watching the pod rise into the sky and pass through the clouds like a ghost until it was out of sight. She continued to watch the sky until Quickstrike spoke.<p>

"So he gets to go to Cybertron and we gotta stay here? This is the last place I wanna be struck. And with a Maxie!"

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "I'm a Predacon. Remember?" He pointed to the Predacon symbol on the side of her head. "If we're going to be stuck here together maybe you can give me a few more lessons on how to be more Predacon." She put a hand on her hip and grinned. "I bet I can learn a lot from a tough bot like you."

"Sure will, lil lady!"

"Thanks."

"You already made yer first mistake. Preds don't say sorry,"

"Noted." She looked up to the sky again. "You know, Quickstrike, there might be a way we can go to Cybertron, too. From what Waspinator explained it sounds better than here." She paused and looked at the warship. "Let's make a deal. If you teach me how to be more Predacon I'll find a way to get to Cybertron."

"You got yerself a deal!"

A smile slowly appeared on her lips. "Where can I find one of those monkeys Megatron wanted to destroy?"

"Them critters?" He shrugged. "Well I reckon I can show ya."

"Good." She shifted to her beast mode and displayed her teeth in a wicked smile. "Give me a target."

"Just follow me, sugar-bot." He shifted to his beast mode and waved a large pincher before leading the way. She followed at his side. "How long will it take ya to get us off this dirt-pit?" he asked.

"I don't know. A long time."

* * *

><p>Talon moved slowly with her head low and her ears flattened. The cat part of her came in handy for a smooth stalk and her powerful hyena jaws were going to be valuable for the kill. She kept her eyes focused on one of the homo habilis, a big alpha male. She kept low in the grasses. They were a clearing, a perfect place for an ambush. She could always drive them to the other side where Quickstrike was hiding. They wouldn't expect a new Predacon and a strange new breed of animal. How could it be possible for a pre-human to escape a group of Predacons? They were nothing but stupid apes.<p>

She suddenly halted when the big male turned his head in her direction and remained still until he lost interest. She kept her golden eyes on him and once he turned back to her she charged into the clearing. The creatures screamed and scattered once she bound into view and went for the big male. His eyes widened the moment he saw her and bolted. He darted left and right, trying to throw her off but the cat part of her beast form gave her the agility to keep up.

She leapt for him and when she was about to grab a hold of him he made a surprisingly quick turn. Her teeth snapped down on air and she slid on the ground on her chest.

Once she recovered two males rushed her. One was armed with a heavy stick. The other raised a hand and managed to grab a fistful of her mane. The moment she felt it touch her she swung her around and clamped her jaws down on its hand. She heard bone cracking between her teeth.

It screamed and pulled away, cradling its broken hand to its chest. The other took the opportunity to swing the stick against her head. She yelped when it hit her but it didn't deter her. Talon lunged up and clamped her teeth on the stick. She began pulling on it until the homo habilis lost its grip and then thrust her head to the side, throwing the stick aside.

She quickly turned her attention when she noticed a figure running towards her. It was the alpha male with some sort of weapon raised over his head, howling a war cry. She went for him in return. She lunged up just as he brought the weapon down. It missed her, nearly grazing her shoulder. But she didn't miss. She bit down on the alpha's neck and knocked him on his back. She pressed her front paws, on his chest and bit harder. She shook her head, beginning to rip its flesh.

The one with the stick struck her again, this time across her back. Talon turned to it while the alpha went motionless under her. Her muzzle was soaked in warm blood.

The other kept its arm raised but when its eyes met hers it began to back away, huffing in fear and anger. She grinned then glanced around. They were all on edge with a shocked look on their hideous faces.

She then ran back to Quickstrike. He laughed when she arrived. "Now that's Predacon if I ever saw it, I tell you what!" He laughed again.

"I'd do it again but I need to get this blood off me. I'm beginning to taste it." She grimaced in discomfort.

There was a noise behind them. Talon turned her head to see three homo habilis charging towards them.

"Quickstrike, get on my back and so we can haul tail." She nudged him with her body, signaling him to get on. He mounted her like a cowboy on a strange steed and took a hold of her mane. "Hold tight. And watch the fangs." She then took off, leaving the stunned and angry homo habilis behind. She gained speed once he got a better grip on her mane. "Stop kicking me! I am not a horse!"

She ran for the nearest watering hole. She just had to get the blood off.

She began to slow into a walk. She pulled her head to look into the sky. and saw dusk was breaking. It was good timing. Tomorrow was a good day to start planning out the difficult task of finding a way to Cybertron.

_I'll see you at Cybertron, _she said to Waspinator before she sent him out into the vastness of space.

At least now they didn't have to worry about enemies. They had all the time they needed.

"Partners?" she offered to Quickstrike.

"Partners," he agreed.


	5. Homebound

"Any sign today Rhinox?" Optimus Primal asked as he approached, looking over his shoulder and over his head at the countless monitors that surveyed many areas of Cybertron. Some were transmitted by mobile cameras. All were placed to observe Cybertron and most importantly—to search for Megatron.

Rhinox pivoted in his seat to exchange glances with Optimus. "Not yet."

Optimus sighed. "How can it be so difficult to find Megatron? It's been a stellar cycle since we lost track of him and no one's seen him. That's too long, Rhinox. He's had time to plan out a comeback. That's the worst that I fear."

Rhinox went silent. Knowing Megatron, Optimus had no doubt he was waiting for the right moment to manipulate the Predacons and break the truce. He couldn't let that happen.

The door slid open behind him and Silverbolt entered hastily. "Optimus, thank goodness you're here."

"Silverbolt. What brings you here?"

"There is something you need to see."

There was one thing that first came into his mind. "Megatron?"

"No, Follow me."

Optimus looked back at Rhinox. "I'll be back."

He nodded while Silverbolt led the way out and into the outside.

"We'll get there faster if we fly," Silverbolt said and took to the dark sky, beating his wings and caught a current of wind. Optimus propelled himself after him. Where he led him was the East jail which was occupied mainly by Predacons who couldn't accept the truce and revolted with violence.

When they arrived Cheetor was waiting by a door who waved on their arrival. Optimus and Silverbolt descended.

"Hey, Optimus! It's been a while."

"It has. It's nice to see you again, Cheetor. Will you fill me in what's going on?"

"Seeing is believing, big bot."

He then heard a puttering sound by him. He turned his head to see a slender cylinder-shaped device slowly fly down and hover beside him. It was propelled by a set of blades spinning at the top of it. On the center of it was a small camera lens. Cheetor noticed the flying camera and waved at it. "Hey, Rhinox! I guess you're too busy to come down here, huh?"

Silverbolt walked past Optimus and slid an access card across the side of the door. Beside it a small red light turned green, allowing Silverbolt to lead then inside with the puttering camera following. They walked down an aisle where there were cells on each side. They were all occupied, mainly by Predacons. Red glowing bars kept them separated and at bay. But it didn't stop their cruel opinions of him as they passed them. One large Predacon rammed the barrier with his shoulder and was shocked by the bars and thrown back.

"I'll slag you, Primal! Just wait until I get my guns back!

"You'll never catch Megatron!"

"Scrap pile!"

"Try to ignore their heckles," Silverbolt said as he led them to the end. There was a female figure standing by one cell on the right. There were less occupants here. Optimus noticed the dark voluptuous figure was Blackarachnia.

"Check out the freak show," she said and stepped aside.

He looked into the cell and when he did his eyes went wide. There were two figures inside, one he recognized the instant he saw him. He blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things. By his head the camera maneuvered to another position.

"Quickstrike!"

The Fuzor tilted his head in confusion as he looked on at him. "Primal? What in tar-nation happened to you?"

"I know. When we returned to Cybertron we were returned to our original forms. It must have happened when we hit the wormhole. How did you get here, Quickstrike?"

"I got some help," he said and gestured to the other beside him, a female Predacon. By his surprise she had the obvious makings of being earthbound like the rest of them. He could see the white on her chest from the face of her beast form staring back at him. It was too dark to see her full form.

She then narrowed her eyes and said, "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

He had been staring.

"You came from Earth, too. Why is it that we never saw you during the Beast Wars? We would have detected you."

"My stasis pod malfunctioned and trapped me inside," she explained. "Quickstrike and—" She paused. "Quickstrike found me." She elbowed the Fuzor beside her. The way she did it made him think she was trying to keep him quiet.

And? Quickstrike wasn't the only Predacon left on Earth.

"How did you get here?"

The two exchanged glances. "Long story. Let's say I believe in recycling."

A femme of little words.

"What's your name?"

"Talon." She glanced around and looked at him again. "Another Predacon didn't come before us, did he?"

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "There is no other earthbound Predacon except Megatron."

"Where is Megatron?" she asked.

"No doubt cooped up like us," Quickstrike snarled. His eyes were locked on Optimus.

"You're wrong," he said. "When we returned he managed to escape and we haven't heard from him since. He went into hiding. With that, we formed a truce with the Predacons."

Quickstrike bristled. "A truce? I was expectin' a tassel when I got here!"

"Things are different on Cybertron compared to Earth, Quickstrike. You'll have to accept the truce like the rest of the Predacons. Or you can stay here with the others who think otherwise." He gestured down the aisle. Quickstrike narrowed his eyes at them and muttered.

Talon took a step forward, closer to the bars. "I came here expecting the same but I'm not staying here like a caged animal. If we can give you our word that we can accept the truce then will you let us go?"

"I ain't gonna—"

Talon elbowed Quickstrike hard on the side to silence him.

"What did ya do that for?"

"Do you really want to stay in here?" she said.

He looked around and muttered to himself before answering. "We worked our keesters off just to get here and you're gonna keep us locked up?" He spat at the ground. "Tin-horns."

"Then if we can get your word you won't attack anyone you're free to go," Optimus said.

Talon and Quickstrike exchanged glances, then Talon looked at Optimus and held one hand up and lowered it again. "You have my word."

Eyes were on Quickstrike. He muttered and lowered his head in defeat. "All right." He was obviously unhappy with his own answer.

Good. I think you'll find Cybertron better than Earth."

"Got that right," Quickstrike said.

Optimus looked over his shoulder to Silverbolt. "Let them go."

"Sir, are you sure—"

"I have their word." He turned his attention to Talon and Quickstrike. "You will be watched."

* * *

><p>This was not what he had expected when they came to Cybertron. A truce. Maximals and Predacons living together in peace. Megatron in hiding. And now he was locked away in one room with his companion, Talon, their every move observed by a single camera mounted on the wall above their reach. He had knocked the camera down but the Maximals replaced it. He had tried to shoot the window but it ricocheted and nearly hit him. The door was locked from the outside. Not only were they being watched, the Maximals were listening in to every conversation they had. Now they talked in whispers just barely enough to hear each other.<p>

At least it was better than the cells they first put them in. Here, they were able to move about. But that didn't make him any more content. He was constantly bored and irritable and had snapped at Talon a few times, which made her snap back. She was better than what she used to be. She got tougher, the way a female Predacon should be. Still, he had the worse temper between the two.

He wasn't sure how long they had been in here. His best guess was a few days, perhaps five. That was too long for him. Just wondering made him more agitated.

Quickstrike dropped his head and sighed. "How long do we gotta stay here?"

"You asked that yesterday and the day before that."

He muttered to himself and rolled his head side to side. He then shouted, "I ain't gonna take this anymore! Ya hear me?" He spun around and aimed the end of his arm at the camera watching them. Before he could fire Talon tackled him to the floor. She straddled him and leaned closer with a sneer forming on her lips.

"You'll only make it worse," she hissed at him.

* * *

><p>Rhinox suddenly turned to the monitor that surveyed Talon and Quickstrike's activity. She had just jumped on top of him and had him pinned. Rhinox leaned in closer and watched them. It could get serious. It seemed that Talon was trying to keep him under control but with Quickstrike there was no control.<p>

Cheetor who volunteered to aid Rhinox in monitoring the screens since they had to add another. To him it was 55 channels and nothing's on, but now something interesting may turn out.

Just as Rhinox was about to speak the lights went out, including the monitors. The two paused and looked around in the darkness.

"What just happened?" Cheetor asked. His bright yellow eyes glowed in the dark, illuminating his gray face, speckled in black.

Rhinox leaned back, still looking at the blackened monitors. "We lost power. And now's not the best time. Megatron may take it as an advantage. All of Cybertron is blacked out."

* * *

><p>Talon and Quickstrike froze when it suddenly went dark. They looked around in silence and noticed the red light on the camera was out.<p>

"The power's out," Talon whispered, then cried out, "The power's out! We can get out of here!" She stood up, allowing Quickstrike to stand. She dashed to the door and began pushing at the side of it, trying to open it by hand. Quickstrike knew that method wasn't going to work. It was still locked and it was too heavy to move. It was an act of desperation.

"Move aside, sugar-bot," she said and went to the door. "I'll handle this." He extended his arm and released a stream of plasma down the center of the metal door and slowly moved it across, cutting through it like a welder. He stopped when he reached the starting point, and then kicked the door. The rectangle he cut fell out, leaving them a clear exit.

"Let's get outta here!" He dashed through the opening with Talon following. They ran down a short corridor until they were blocked by another door. He cut a hole in that one, too.

"Quickstrike, did I ever tell you you're my favorite Predacon?" Talon said in excitment.

Only one more door stood in their way, but not for long. Once they bolted outside Talon transformed to her beast form. "Get on!" She started off with him, running as fast as she could. It was just too perfect.

"Where to, sugar-bot?"

"Anywhere but here!"


End file.
